Kindra L. Cooper, JD, MPA, MA, CIP
IRB Director
Office: Criss I, Room 133
Phone: 402-280-3208
Email: kindracooper@creighton.edu
Kindra Cooper is a bioethicist and regulatory and life sciences attorney. She is the IRB Director at Creighton University, where she also serves as an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Medical Humanities. Kindra relocated to Omaha, Nebraska from her hometown of Seattle, Washington in August of 2021 to assume responsibility for the CU IRB.
Prior to her arrival at CU, Kindra previously served as an IRB Chairperson for Advarra and Senior Regulatory Counsel for Quorum Review IRB. She is a site visitor in training for the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP), a member of the Consortium to Advance Effective Research Oversight (AEREO), and Regulatory Faculty for the Radiological Society of North America's Annual Clinical Trials Workshop. Kindra's areas of expertise include regulation of medical devices including mobile apps and in-vitro diagnostic devices, eConsent, and the use of End User License Agreements in human subjects research. She is a licensed attorney, admitted to practice in the State of Washington.
Kindra is the co-author of one CITI learning module on regulation of mobile applications and the lead author of eConsent, a chapter in the third edition of IRB Management and Function (published by PRIM&R). Kindra has presented at local and national conferences and via online webinars on topics including IRB Myths, eConsent, remote technology in clinical trials, IRB review of products with Emergency Use Authorization, sIRB, and IRB review of medical device research.
Kindra earned her law degree from the University of Washington School of Law. She also holds a Master of Arts in Bioethics and Health Policy from the Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University Chicago and a Master of Public Administration from The George Washington University. When she is not in the office, Kindra enjoys getting outside and exploring her new home state of Nebraska with the love of her life – a 62-pound Great Dane/Pit Bull mix named Annie.
Betsy Dancisak
Senior IRB Administrator
Email: betsydancisak@creighton.edu
Betsy Dancisak, received her MPH from Louisiana State University in New Orleans. Prior to joining the Creighton IRB team, she worked as an IRB administrator at the LSU Health Sciences Center - Office of Research. She gained extensive experience in public health during her time at the Louisiana Department of Health, working with a quality improvement program designed to improve maternity care practices and patient-centered care at birthing facilities. She enjoys the outdoors, yoga, and time with her husband and two daughters.
Meg Rayner
Senior IRB Administrator
Email: megrayner@creighton.edu
Meg Rayner joined the Research Compliance Office at Creighton University as a Senior IRB Administrator in January of 2023. Meg has nearly a decade of experience working in research and prior to becoming part of the team at Creighton, worked as an IRB administrator for the University of Nevada Las Vegas for just over five years. Before moving into the IRB world, Meg worked as a clinical research coordinator at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, and as a health promoter and researcher for Women’s Health Action in New Zealand, where she focused on women’s health and youth development. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from UNLV and her Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. Meg received her Certified IRB Professional (CIP) certification in March of 2020.
Teri Prentis, BA
IRB/IBC Administrator
Phone: 402-280-2126
Email: IRB@creighton.edu
Teri Prentis joined Creighton's Research Compliance Office in May 2023. Teri has a background in working directly with and advocating for individuals with developmental disabilities for nearly a decade. Teri has worked in day center, educational, clinic, and in-home settings, and has ample experience working in child welfare as part of many multidisciplinary teams. Additionally, she has worked as a part of research teams in the Omaha area – a summer research program at Bellevue University that later presented at the 2018 Psychological and Educational Research in Kansas/Nebraska Psychological Society conference, and multiple research projects led by doctoral candidates and faculty at the University of Nebraska Medical Center's (UNMC) Munroe-Meyer Institute (MMI) in the integrated Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders' (iCASD) Early Intervention Program. In 2020, Teri received her Registered Behavior Technician certification in order to provide therapeutic services to children with autism in the community and worked in an in-home setting, then at UNMC's MMI - iCASD for nearly two years.
When she's not in office, Teri serves as the Vice President of the Bellevue, NE Lions Club, auntie to many kiddos, and wife and dog mom while at home. She likes hosting and attending events, volunteering, and exploring new places in the community.
